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*TEXT BLACK NOW* As an Okie, I appreciate all the love, support and donations pouring in from around the USA but....

All of the coverage is slowing and Memorial day is in 2 days, as an okie I am actually pretty pissed off that 99% of the help so far has went to the Moore area. The Shawnee area has been getting subtle plugs here and there on the news facebook pages but the truth is we only just started getting supplies sent to our area 2 days ago when I saw a post for an urgent immediate need to have big men show up at the expo to unload trucks.

2 days ago I found out by browsing the Moore relief page, about a chance to volunteer in the shawnee area with some clean up. The plan was for volunteers to meet at The travel Plaza in front of the Grand and wear something purple at noon. When I got there, I saw a woman on top of a black SUV with a purple shirt on (she was the organizer) and a bunch of cars parked nex to her so I was thinking hmm ok about a dozen cars & trucks that's a start... WRONG including her there were 4 of us, all women and not very big and I can tell you The lady who organized this from what I can tell so far and myself are girly girl types who like to look good and we were out there to get dirty and help out the neglected areas. I talked to her and she said that since it happened she has been driving out from duncan every day to help. She has tremendous heart.

Understandably she was upset because people went as far as to get her number and call her phone all night long saying they would be there, we were supposed to leave at 12:30 to go to the site but sat there until 1:30 waiting to see if anyone else was coming and to wait for another woman she had spoke to in front of me on the phone. We went to finally leave and I was the last in the row of cars, the car in front of me accidentally ran into the parking stump and I had to back up to let her back up and go around it (no women driver jokes it's not the time) well with other cars coming in off the road and turning off of other sections of the lot I had lost them by the time I got on the highway and didn't know the specific location. I had somewhere else I needed to be about an hour later but I did let her know what happened and that I would be more than willing to help if she needs me again, she knows I will actually show up.

I understand that it was big, but it hasn't even been a week yet and there are thousands of displaced families here. Plus, people have had to work this week. People aren't forgetting, people can't be everywhere all at once. Someone's going to get the short end of the stick because there's just not enough people and I'm sorry, I know it sucks, but there are more people who need help in Moore so that's where a lot of the resources and people are going. Now that everything has kind of calmed down a bit here I'm sure more people will start heading your way.

im with Holly. yes Shawnee got hit, but its NOWHERE near like Moore. in Shawnee buildings were damaged, but whole areas were flattened in Moore. I live in Edmond, some ppl got hit here too, but its just not as bad as Shawnee and Shawnee isnt as bad as Moore. my heart aches for the ppl in Shawnee just like those in Moore, but they just arent comparable. you dont hear about the ppl in Newcastle that lost homes/businesses either. more populated areas get more help & coverage, especially since lives were lost. EF5s are extremely rare and dangerous, i dont even know what the Shawnee tornado was rated.

Don't be mad at people because they're helping the worst hit area first. There are thousands of people in Moore who lost their homes. They need a lot of help right now. I know it sucks, but people are doing the best they can. Newcastle was hit too and I've only heard them mentioned one time by the local news. There's a lot of damage from these tornadoes and it will take time.

okmanders...Judging by the damage OP pics have, and looking at the brick homes basically wiped of the foundation, I'd say it was EF4 tornado that went through. I do not know for sure. I am on my moble phone. And a EF4 is also pretty rare, and both are very destructive and dangerous. And I think 1 person died. I think rthis is the tornado that Reed Timmer and Jim Cantorie intercepted.
But yes OP, it does seem like the Moore tornado came in, tore up almost the entire town by an EF5, and the media just took over....Bit I think the reason is that Moore had the previous EF5 hit back in '99 that basically followed the same path, whuch is about as rare as you get. But at least the winds were not 300mph.